Jango Fett
Jango Fett was a renowned human Mandalorian bounty hunter, assassin, mercenary, and the "father" of Boba Fett, a genetic clone of his, whom he raised as a son. A Human from Concord Dawn, Fett was adopted by Mandalorian warriors following the murder of his parents and the disappearance of his older sister Arla in 58 BBY. Years later, he would go on to lead them through much of the Mandalorian Civil War as Mandalore. After being imprisoned by Jedi, Fett was responsible for destroying the Death Watch, a Mandalorian group who killed Fett's mentor, Jaster Mereel. Following the conclusion of that conflict, Fett became a bounty hunter, quickly establishing a reputation as being one of the best in the galaxy. Later on, Fett agreed to serve as the genetic template for the clones that would form the bulk of the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. When Master Obi-Wan Kenobi located Jango and Boba on Kamino, Fett fled to join Count Dooku. Though struck down by Mace Windu in combat, Fett's legacy would live on through his son Boba, as well as his cloned brethren, who would have a profound impact on galactic history Jango Fett was a renowned human Mandalorian bounty hunter, assassin, mercenary, and the "father" of Boba Fett, a genetic clone of his, whom he raised as a son. A Human from Concord Dawn, Fett was adopted by Mandalorian warriors following the murder of his parents and the disappearance of his older sister Arla in 58 BBY. Years later, he would go on to lead them through much of the Mandalorian Civil War as Mandalore. After being imprisoned by Jedi, Fett was responsible for destroying the Death Watch, a Mandalorian group who killed Fett's mentor, Jaster Mereel. Following the conclusion of that conflict, Fett became a bounty hunter, quickly establishing a reputation as being one of the best in the galaxy. Later on, Fett agreed to serve as the genetic template for the clones that would form the bulk of the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. When Master Obi-Wan Kenobi located Jango and Boba on Kamino, Fett fled to join Count Dooku. Though struck down by Mace Windu in combat, Fett's legacy would live on through his son Boba, as well as his cloned brethren, who would have a profound impact on galactic history Early Life Born to a family of farmers, Fett grew up alongside his older sister Arla on the world of Concord Dawn,1 an agricultural planet in the Mandalore sector, known for being long associated with the Mandalorians.7 Fett's father served as a Journeyman Protector, a civilian lawman on Concord Dawn, having taken over the role when the former Protector, Jaster Mereel, was exiled and joined the Mandalorians. At some point during his youth, Fett was inoculated against the Karatos Plague, a disease native to his homeworld.8 Fett was just a young boy when the civil war began between the True Mandalorians, led by ''Mand'alor'' Jaster Mereel, and a traitorous scion of their ranks, Tor Vizsla—leader of the violent Mandalorian splinter faction, the Death Watch. When the war spilled on to Fett's homeworld, his father granted Jaster Mereel and his men refuge at their homestead. Curious about footprints he found in the field, Fett questioned his father who merely remarked that there were beggars he was feeding and told Fett to get back to his chores. The Death Watch caught up with the True Mandalorians at the homestead and Tor Vizsla captured Fett while he was fixing the family's harvester, using him in an attempt to root Mereel and his men out of hiding. Vizsla savagely beat Fett's father in front of the boy while he demanded the location of the hidden Mandalorians, even going so far as threatening to shoot him in the head right in front of his son. However, Fett's mother intervened, shooting one of the Death Watch in the face with a blaster rifle and in the ensuing chaos, Fett's father ordered his son to run. Fleeing into the nearby crop field, Fett was rescued by Mereel and his soldiers while his parents were murdered9 and his sister taken by the Death Watch.10 As the Death Watch set fire to the fields, Fett led the True Mandalorians to an irrigation tube that allowed them to escape the blaze.They took Fett with them as they fled the homestead, the Death Watch burning the crop fields they took cover in. With his family dead and his home in ruins, Fett joined the Mandalorians as they regrouped in a nearby town in order to stage an ambush on the Death Watch. Believing their enemies dead, Vizsla and his men moved into the town on a celebratory raid, only to come under fire from the Mandalorians, attacking from street alleys and high windows. Using the firefight as a distraction, Fett planted an explosive charge beneath the Death Watch's armored tank, destroying it. He was attacked moments later by the Death Watch soldier responsible for the deaths of his parents and although the rogue Mandalorian slashed him with his gauntlet's vibroblade, Fett was able to snatch up a blaster, shooting and killing his parents' murderer. Having proven himself in Mereel's eyes, after the fighting was over Fett was taken in by the Mand'alor, who raised the boy as he would his own son.9 Unbeknownst to Fett, his sister Arla also survived the battle, taken prisoner by the Death Watch and later held for years in a mental institution on Coruscant until 19 BBY.11 Now a Mandalorian, Jango Fett would continue to fight alongside Mereel and his forces into his teenage years and until the Battle of Korda 6. His first time as a squad commander,12 the mission promised to be little more than a basic extraction operation. Employed by the Korda Defense Force, the Mandalorians were to recover a team of rookie security personnel pinned down under fire by a group of local hostiles, supposedly poorly armed and with no formal army. Placed in charge of the group humorously referred to as "Jango's Grunts", Fett and his team were in charge of providing cover fire and ensuring that the extraction point remained clear of danger.12 However, the intelligence reports turned out to be inaccurate and the claims of "minimal resistance" turned out to be a much heavier force. When Mereel's second-in-command, Montross, refused to retreat and was injured in a grenade strike, it was up to Mereel to save him. At the same time, Fett used Montross' ill-guided attack as a diversion to move on their original objective. But when he reached the site, the expected team of security personnel in need turned out to be a Death Watch ambush. While Fett fought back the Death Watch soldiers, Mereel and Montross came under attack by Vizsla himselfIt was then that Montross, through with taking Mereel's orders, abandoned the seriously injured Mand'alor and left him to to die by Vizsla's hand. Though Fett rushed to the aid of the man who'd raised him like a father, he was too late to save him as Vizsla unleashed his tank's cannons on the injured soldier. It was in Fett's arms that Mereel passed away.12 At the landing zone, Montross urged the Mandalorians to heed Mereel's final orders and pull out, claiming that both Mereel and Fett were dead. However, Fett not only returned to the landing zone at that very moment, but carried with him Jaster Mereel's body. Still Montross continued in his attempts to seize control, implying that Mereel would have wanted him to take over as the new Mand'alor and that the Mandalorians would do best with him in command. But when Fett revealed the truth of Montross' betrayal—that he'd left their beloved leader to die alone on the battlefield—the other Mandalorians denounced Montross at blaster point and proclaimed that they would follow only Fett. Montross was allowed to leave, cursing Fett as he slipped off into exile, while Jango Fett became the new Mand'alor, leader of the Mandalorians. Clone Army Jango Fett's most famous contribution to the creation of the Grand Army of the Republic was the donation of his genes used to produce the army's clone troopers at Kamino's Tipoca City facility. However, Fett would be central in many facets of the army's early development, including assisting in the design of the armor worn by the clones, evident in the loose similarities between their armor and Fett's own Mandalorian shock trooper armor, including the distinctive T-visor of their helmets.6 He would also become a military consultant and helped to create the flash training regiment used to instruct all of the young clones, including in it the traditional Mandalorian song Vode An as a useful tool to help instill within them with a sense of purpose, modifying it slightly in order to give it meaning for soldiers serving the Republic.711 Fett was also responsible for recruiting the Cuy'val Dar, a one-hundred man group—seventy-five of which were Mandalorians—with assorted skills and professions, hired to train the clone commandos that would make up the army's special forces.18 Fett would personally oversee the training of the one-hundred Alpha-class Advanced Recon Commandos, considered the most skilled and elite soldiers in the Grand Army.719 Eight years prior to the Battle of Geonosis, Fett met with Mandalorian Cuy'val Dar training sergeant Kal Skirata in Tipoca's cloning facility. There, he spoke with the man concerning the solitude that came with being Cuy'val Dar—"Those Who No Longer Exist". He would also ask Skirata to join him in evaluating a group of clones considered to be under par by Kamino Chief Scientist Ko Sai's standards. However, when they arrived in the office of Orun Wa, the "defective" clones turned out to be six young clone children. Deemed too independent and uncontrollable, they were labeled "Null-class" and were to be exterminated as failures until Skirata stepped in on their behalf. Fett recommended they be used as intelligence units and placed the boys under Skirata's care. That evening, Fett went to see how Skirata was coping with the boys, arriving at his room with his son Boba asleep in his arms. When Skirata asked why Boba looked like the other clones, Fett explained that Boba was his genetic clone as well, but was also his son, and worth more to him than all the credits he'd been paid.7 As the army grew in secret over the years leading up to the Battle of Geonosis, Cuy'val Dar sergeant Dred Priest was found to be operating brutal battle circles in the lower levels of Tipoca, forcing the clone commandos he trained to fight one another until one couldn't fight back. After the injured began to pile up in the care of fellow Cuy'val Dar sergeant and doctor, Mij Gilamar, Fett was notified and quickly put an end to the illicit fights after savagely beating Priest.10 Fett was also responsible for smuggling the clone deserter ARC trooper Alpha-02—"Spar"—off Kamino in the cargo hold of Slave I to repay a favor owed to Gilamar.[11